


Volatile Times

by beaniek4



Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Although it's very vague, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Feelings, M/M, Polyamory, Threats, Threats of Rape/Non-Con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-05-27
Packaged: 2019-05-14 08:44:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14766329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beaniek4/pseuds/beaniek4
Summary: He is just on his way out of the locker room when the door opens before he gets his hand on the handle. He’s expecting it to be some dumb jock covered in sweat from an after school sports meet, but instead comes face to face with Bryce.





	Volatile Times

**Author's Note:**

> In this story, Sheri has already been in the Clubhouse, while Zach told Clay and Justin about sending out the polaroids earlier than he did in the actual show. However they still haven’t gotten the box full of them. This takes place during a time where they’re all teaming up to get to it at nighttime. Zach and Alex are sort of together, and Justin and Alex have kissed a couple of times with Zach’s knowledge. The three of them haven’t really put any labels on themselves yet.

Alex isn’t someone who uses his phone often. He doesn’t have his eyes glued to the screen for most of the day like the majority of teenagers do at school. He actively tries to avoid it, even more so now that he’s found that social media is a mood-killer. He really only uses it to text a small group of people, and even then it’s only when something important needs to be said or asked. So it’s no wonder that he doesn’t realize he’s left it behind in the locker room until he’s out of his last period. He’s able to recall leaving it in his locker, which is fortunately locked.

He makes his way slowly to the locker rooms. Once he gets there he follows through with his mission as fast as he can, not wanting to be there longer than he has to be. He is just on his way out of the locker room when the door opens before he gets his hand on the handle. He’s expecting it to be some dumb jock covered in sweat from an after school sports meet, but instead comes face to face with Bryce. It makes him jump back a step, his cane following. He musters up as much of a glare as he can, not wanting to give Bryce the satisfaction of being intimidating.

“Well, well, Standall. Never expected you to be here after hours. You finally going to try and get some muscles?” Bryce may seem carefree at the moment, but Alex knows better. He understands that he isn’t on Bryce’s good side—not that he’d want to be—and that Bryce is probably thinking of ways to bring him down this very moment. Bryce’s dislike towards him was mostly likely amped after he publicly called him a rapist and is now close to two people Bryce used to rely on. In his current condition, he knows he can’t fight against Bryce. If he wants to leave this place safely, he’s going to have to smooth talk his way out.

“Yeah I was thinking right now is the perfect time to, you know, bulk up,” Alex says as aloof as he can.

“Oh, is that so you can be all matchy-matchy with your fuck buddies?” Bryce says, leering at Alex as he steps closer.

Alex takes a step back, his heart pounding. It’s not much of a secret anymore that he, Zach, and Justin are... kind of a thing. It’s way more than sex, though, and for some reason it hurts hearing someone water their relationship down to something as simple as friends with benefits. He can tell Bryce isn’t happy about the arrangement.

Alex stays silent, feeling that Bryce has no right to know anything about his relationships. It seems Bryce realizes this, and Alex can feel himself growing increasingly more uncomfortable as the other crowds him against a wall.

“Aww, what’s wrong, Standall? Don’t have any witty comebacks stored up today? I’ve been meaning to talk to you, actually. It’s a shame you aren’t making it very fun,” Bryce says as he brackets his hands beside Alex’s head, keeping him in place.

“I have nothing to say to you,” Alex grits out, trying to remain cool even as his palms become sweaty and his heart speeds up.

He’s dealt with a lot of assholes in his life. At his old school, he was constantly picked on by the jocks who called him out on not being the stereotypical masculine guy that his dad wanted him to be. There were times when he wished he did fit in with the popular crowd, although being apart of it at this school—while short-lived—has shown him that those groups of people are the worst.

“That’s fine,” Bryce replies. “Just listen.” With that, Bryce hastily grabs Alex by the arms and yanks him against the adjacent wall, slamming his head into it in the process. Alex lets out a groan of pain at the feeling, and can already feel a headache coming in. Bryce is still keeping a tight hold on Alex’s arms, and Alex is sure that the grip is strong enough to leave bruises, especially when Bryce squeezes them even more. Bryce’s body is pressed close against his, barely any room between them, and he feels trapped and vulnerable.

“I want you to tell Justy and Zach to be careful. They may have turned to the other side, but that doesn’t erase all the shit they’ve done that I’ve kept under wraps. They better learn to keep their mouths shut, or I’ll make sure that their lives go to shit as well.”

Alex struggles against Bryce’s grasp as he continues to glare at him. “Fuck you. You think you have them under your thumb but they aren’t scared of you. Not anymore.”

Bryce’s grip tightens even more before letting go completely, only to use that strength to pin Alex’s hands to the wall, his grip harshly digging into Alex’s wrists. Alex clenches his teeth together as he feels another wave of pain course through his body.

“That’s what you think, buddy. They may be taking turns fucking your crippled self, but I’m sure if they’re given an incentive, they’ll leave you behind and come back to my side, where they belong. This is just a rebellious stage for them, you know?” For a few seconds, Bryce releases his hold on Alex, and it seems like he’s finished with whatever he needs to say. Then he takes a swing at Alex’s face, knocking him to the ground. Alex lies there, finding himself unable to move, and his vision is blurry for a few seconds.

“So here’s my offer: make them quit with the snooping. Stop them from trying to find things that aren’t there. Or else, I’ll make you someone else’s bitch. You got that?” Without even waiting to see Alex’s response, Bryce steps away and calmly walks out of the locker room, leaving Alex on the floor.

—

By the time Zach comes and picks him up from his house, there’s a bruise around his left eye. He tries not to think about all the bruises hidden under his cardigan as he stumbles towards the car. Zach gets out from the driver’s seat and walks around to help him and stops in his tracks when he sees the mark.

“Holy shit, who did that to you?” Zach wonders aloud. There’s concern in his eyes as he reaches one of his hands up to lightly touch it. Alex flinches away.

“No one. I tripped earlier.”

Zach gives him a wary look but doesn’t question it. The ride to the library is a quiet one.

—

“I don’t think we should go through with the plan.”

He’s sitting at a table with Zach, Justin, and Clay. It’s around evening that same day and they’re all gathered around a table in the town’s library. They’ve all been discussing what Sheri had seen in the Clubhouse yesterday and what they can do to incriminate Bryce. He can feel all eyes are on him now.

Clay gives him an incredulous look. “What the fuck, Alex? This might actually help us find evidence of Bryce’s crimes. Don’t you want to see him go to jail?”

Alex knows he has to be inconspicuous about this. While he definitely also wants to get ahold of that box, he understands it’s too risky to do so right now. Bryce is onto them, and if he finds out that they’ve snuck into the Clubhouse, who knows what he’ll do when it comes to Zach and Justin. Hell, even Alex himself.

“I do, I just think we need to lay low for a bit. Not be so suspicious,” Alex replies. He hears Zach scoff from beside him.

“You do realize it’s better if we do this now, right? The sooner the better, especially since the Baker’s trial is close to being done.”

“I know that, but—“

“You wanted him gone as soon as possible. Why did that suddenly change?” Justin asks, frustration written in his features.

“It hasn’t! I just think—“

“If you don’t want to be apart of this, fine. We’ll do it without you,” Clay says with resolve.

Alex slams his hands onto the table as he stands up. He feels himself growing even more annoyed with everything as the seconds pass. He wants to vocalize what Bryce warned him about but for some reason it’s hard for him to spit out, even with the lives of those he cares about being put on the line. He feels if he outright says what happened that someone will go after Bryce and that could definitely put a hole in their plans. He’ll just have to find another way to get them to listen before the sun goes down. For now, though, he needs to take a break from everything, from everyone. Bryce’s words circle around in his head and he tries not to let them bother him.

He grabs his cane and begins his trek towards the front entrance. “I’m leaving. I’ll see you guys later tonight. Don’t start without me or whatever.”

He sees Zach stand up from his spot. “Whoa, hey, I’m your ride home remember?”

Alex waves him off. “It’s fine, I’ll just call my dad to come and get me.” With that, he leaves the library.

—

The four of them meet up at Zach’s place that night. The plan is that Alex and Zach will keep watch while Clay and Justin sneak in and grab whatever they can—especially the box of polaroids—that could help their case. While discussing the smaller details, Alex excuses himself and says he needs to go to the bathroom, although he ends up in Zach’s room, where he finds himself recalling memories of his and Zach’s times together. His smiles softly to himself as he remembering a particular time where him and Zach were playing video games until around 1 in the morning until it evolved into a slow make out session that ended with them falling asleep curled around each other. Then his mind wanders over to Bryce and the threats he had made towards him and the other two. He sits down on the edge of the bed and slips off his cardigan, holding it in his hands as he inspects the damage that had been done earlier that day. There are hand-shaped bruises along his biceps and wrists that easily stand out against pale skin. Some places are darker than others, but they are all discolored and splotchy. He presses his fingers into one of them and lets out a hiss.

“What the fuck?”

Justin’s voice shakes Alex out of his thoughts and his cardigan falls out of his hands onto the floor. He whips his head over to the doorway, where Justin’s standing there with his eyes trained on Alex’s arms. Alex crosses his arms, trying to cover himself up as much as he can, looking away.

“They’re nothing, I just... fall a lot, you know. This cane isn’t always sturdy,” Alex says, forcing a chuckle at the end to try and sell his lie. When he looks back over at Justin, he can tell he isn’t believed, Justin’s eyes still narrowed and focused on the bruises.

Justin lets out a humorless laugh, meeting Alex’s eyes. “I understand that I can be a dumbass sometimes, but even I can tell that those are handprints.” Justin walks over and kneels in front of Alex, taking one of his arms into his hands, thumbs ghosting over the mottled blue and yellow spots. “Is the person who did this the same one who gave you that black eye? And don’t use that ‘I fell down’ excuse again. That explanation may have worked for the others, but I’ve been hit enough to recognize this kind of shit.” Alex sucks in a breath, his eyes fluttering shut as he tries to think of a way out of this. Then there’s the sound of footsteps approaching and a familiar voice speaking to them.

“There you guys are. I was wondering— Whoa. What the hell happened?” Alex forces himself to look over and up at Zach, who’s now also staring at Alex’s bruised up arms. Alex groans in frustration. While he appreciates their concern, he also understands that bringing them into this isn’t a good idea, especially Justin. Bryce has fucked up Justin’s life so many times before, and Alex doesn’t want to bring him back into that cycle. Although with both Justin and Zach on his tail now, it seems like there’s not much hope left for keeping everything a secret.

“Someone hurt him but he won’t tell me who,” Justin replies, sparing a glance towards Zach. “Maybe you can try and coax it out of him.”

Alex rolls his eyes—wincing as he does so—and lets out a small sigh. He buries his face in his hands, softly groaning in frustration. He can’t. He can’t. He can’t.

“Alex, please,” Zach says, “just tell us who. Was it Monty?”

Alex shakes his head. Fuck it. His plans are ruined now anyway. He might as well come clean. “In the locker room, Bryce— he—“

Justin jumps up from his spot on the floor, his face full of murderous intent. “That fucking bastard. I’ll kill him.” He’s looks about ready to leave the room to do who knows what.

Alex gets off the bed and steadies himself by putting his hands on Justin’s shoulder. “Justin, no— just fucking listen to me.”

He’s unsure whether Justin doesn’t leave because he’s actually going to listen or if it’s because he’s being used as support, but whatever the reason is he’s grateful. He’d be pissed if he had to chase Justin around.

He can feel Zach’s and Justin’s eyes on him and knows he needs to make this quick before he loses their attention. Justin especially looks like he’ll jump at any chance he can get to escape the room, not because he doesn’t care but probably to get revenge. Just saying Bryce’s name must’ve set something off in him. It makes sense. Justin would know better than anyone that anything Bryce is involved in must be bad.

Alex explains to them what happened in the locker room, what Bryce warned him about. He leaves out the part about Zach and Justin leaving him if “given an incentive”, because he didn’t want to think about that. It’s not that he believes it, it’s just that it’s one of those things that’s worrisome even in theory.

Justin looks even more pissed by the end of it, Zach just as angry. “If he puts his hands on you again— shit, if he gets anyone else to do so like he threatened— I swear to god I’ll fucking kill him. It’s bad enough he hurt Jessica. I don’t want him to fuck with you as well.”

Zach nods in agreement. “We’ll deal with him if we have to, Alex. He may think he has shit on us, but the cards are in our hands, especially if we get that box. As long as we can find someone to testify against Bryce, we’ll be okay. You’ll be okay.”

All Alex can do is nod and hope they’re right.

—

Clay and Justin manage to successfully retrieve the box of polaroids. Relief washes over Alex, even though there’s still a possibility of Justin and Zach getting hurt. He’ll just have to do what he can to protect them both.

—

Alex invites Justin to come back with him to his house. They’re both laying in his bed.

“Justin, what are we?” Alex asks as he continues to stare up at the ceiling. He hears Justin sigh next to him.

“I don’t know, man. Everything’s really fucked up right now. Also... you’re kinda with Zach. I know he didn’t mind us kissing, but... I don’t see him liking the idea of us doing shit behind his back. I don’t want to put you in a situation that’ll be hard on you.”

Alex turns his head to face Justin, surprised to see that Justin is already looking at him. “What about what I want?”

Justin cracks a small smile and it vanished as quickly as it appeared. “What do you want?”

Alex thinks it over for a moment before rolling onto his side. Justin does the same, his hand drifting to Alex’s waist. “I... I don’t know,” he answers honestly. He likes them both, that’s all he knows, but he also doesn’t want to have to choose between them.

Justin inches closer to Alex’s form. The hand that was on Alex’s waist moves up to his face where the bruise is. Not only is the area discolored, but it’s slightly swollen. Justin sits up a little so that he hovers over him before bending down to press the gentlest kiss to the raised area. Alex tries to breathe as lightly as he can against Justin’s neck. When Justin pulls away, they exchange a look of want. Alex is the one who moves first, but it’s Justin who closes the gap between their mouths. The kiss is sweet and short-lived. They break apart for just a second before Justin cups Alex’s face and brings him in for another one. It lasts longer and has Alex closing his eyes as he enjoys the feeling. Warmth spreads in his chest and he loosely grasps at Justin’s shirt, wanting him even closer.

The kiss ends sooner than Alex would’ve liked. “I want both of you. Do you think that’s okay?” he asks sincerely. He’s putting his heart out there, knowing the risks. He’s prepared for the worst.

But Justin nods, and Alex feels hope bloom inside of him.

“Yeah. Yeah, I think that’s okay.”


End file.
